The present invention generally relates to connectors, particularly to connectors for tubular members, and specifically to connectors for tubular members not requiring modifications to the tubular member, not requiring specific orientations of the tubular member, and not requiring movement in directions other than parallel to the tubular member during installation.
It is often desired to connect tubular members to various objects such as but not limited to connecting together the parallel tubes of first and second trusses to result in a single unitary truss having a span of their combined lengths. The almost universal mechanism for making such a connection is to bolt one truss to another. But in certain applications such as where it is desired to frequently connect and disconnect tubular members and/or where for aesthetic or other reasons bolts are not desired, other forms of connectors have been developed. As examples, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,637,193 and 4,775,258 show connectors having male and female components attached by bolts to rods fastened inside of the tubular members. Thus, modification was required to the tubular members at least by fastening rods therein; due to its male/female nature, the tubular members could only be secured in corresponding orientations; and movement was required generally perpendicular to the tubular members to effect connection. Other forms of connection include connectors which slide with a friction fit in the ends of the tubular members such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,339. However, such friction fit, slide connectors require close tolerances and were prone to allow separation when subjected to tensional forces parallel to the tubular members.
Thus, a need continues to exist for other methods to connect tubular members and which overcome the short-comings and disadvantages of prior connecting techniques.